Pokemon Masters is a broad collection of famous trainers from throughout the Pokemon series–representing both the games and anime. Much of the collection aspect is a traditional mobile gacha-style game, where you trade in-game currency for a randomized spin that will earn you a Sync Pair–one Trainer and their partner Pokemon. But if you have your eye on one Sync Pair in particular, that’s where Scout Points come in.

Scout Points are earned by Scouting, otherwise known as purchasing new Sync Pairs. If you obtain the maximum number of Scout Points within a given time period, you get to choose any Sync Pair that is currently available through Scouting. It’s the sure bet to get the 5-Star team you’ve had your eye on.

However, it doesn’t come cheap or easily. The Scout Point Max, which you have to reach to get your pick of the litter, is set at 400 Points. You earn 3 Scout Points for each standard Sync Pair Scout you use (300 Paid or Unpaid Gems apiece), and 1 Scout Point for each Daily Discount you buy (100 Paid Gems). To earn 400 Points, you would need to purchase 134 standard scouts, or almost that many with a few Daily scouts mixed in.

Also be aware, the launch period offers a special bundle, exclusive to Paid Gems, with a guaranteed 5-Star Sync Pair in the bunch. This bundle does not grant any Scout Points.

134 standard scouts at 300 Gems apiece would cost you slightly more than 40,000 Gems, the in-game currency. Even the highest level of in-app purchases is 9,800 Gems for $80. Suffice to say, you would have to spend quite a bit of real-world money to earn enough Scout Points all at once.

To add another layer of complexity, Scout Points reset at the end of each Sync Pair Scout Event. The launch event ends on September 3, roughly a week after launch. Future event resets may last longer.

Earning so many Gems in a single week seems unrealistic, and buying your way in is prohibitively expensive. But while Scout Points expire, Gems don’t. If you really want one Sync Pair in particular, you may need to exercise a good deal of patience and gather Gems over the course of several weeks–and then blow them all at once to earn your Scout Points.

In the meantime, if you’d like to focus your energy on the team you already have, read up on how Evolutions and Mega Evolutions work in Pokemon Masters.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-masters-what-are-scout-points-and-how-to-g/1100-6469490/

Pokemon Masters has officially released, giving you a brand-new Pokemon experience to play on the go. Though Masters shares several similarities with previous Pokemon games, it does a lot differently too. One such difference is in how Pokemon can evolve. If you’re having trouble, we’ve outlined the process below.

First things first: not every sync pair you recruit features a Pokemon that can evolve. The Pikachu that you start with cannot be evolved into a Raichu, for example. As far as we can tell, there’s no definitive rule for discerning which Pokemon partners can evolve in Masters, though we have noticed that the only Pokemon that can evolve are the ones found in their first-stage form. If you recruit a sync pair with a Pokemon that’s already in its second-stage evolution, it doesn’t seem capable of reaching its third (provided it has one).

Android Authority has compiled all of the sync pairs with Pokemon that we know can evolve in Masters, which are listed below. There’s a chance that more sync pairs feature Pokemon that can be evolved, but we’ll need more time with the game to be sure. Evolving Pokemon can be a lengthy process.

Sync Pairs With Pokemon That Can Evolve In Pokemon Masters

• Barry and Piplup (evolves into Prinplup and then Empoleon)
• Kris and Totodile (evolves into Croconaw and then Feraligatr)
• Lyra and Chikorita (evolves into Bayleef and Meganium)
• Pryce and Seel (evolves into Dewgong)
• Rosa and Snivy (evolves into Servine and then Serperior)
• Viola and Surskit (evolves into Masquerain)

Now, how you evolve these Pokemon is vastly different from previous games. You don’t need to worry about environmental factors, time of day, or evolutionary stones, though the traditional system of leveling up is a part of the process.

First, you need to level up the sync pair of the Pokemon you want to evolve to at least level 30. Once you reach level 30, you’ll unlock a special battle you’ll need to complete for the Pokemon to evolve. You can’t attempt that battle until you fulfill one more requirement, though–acquiring five Evolution Shards, which can currently only be bought in Tricia’s Shop. The first time you buy five Shards, they’ll cost 1,000 coins–Masters’ in-game currency that you can either earn or buy with microtransactions–but that number exponentially grows more expensive so make sure you focus on evolving the Pokemon you want. With the Shards and your sync pair in tow, you’ll be able to attempt the battle. Each of these special fights is unique for each sync pair. The only commonality between each one is that they are extremely difficult, so leveling up beyond the level 30 minimum requirement may be a good idea.

Once you win, the Pokemon within the sync pair will evolve, maintaining its previous level but acquiring more powerful stats. Don’t worry too much about losing, as you can retry the battle as many times as you want. For Pokemon that have a third-stage evolution, you’ll need to repeat the process–albeit reaching level 45 this time around. The Evolution Stones for reaching third-stage are far more expensive than the Shards too. They begin at 5,000 coins and eventually climb to 300,000. The unique battle you have to fight is a lot more challenging too. Tackling it at the level 45 minimum is not advised.

Despite this ordeal to make a Pokemon evolve in Masters, the reward is worth it. Evolutions cause Pokemon to learn new, more powerful Sync Moves which can make the most difficult battles in the game much, much easier. In some cases, these Sync Moves result in the Pokemon undergoing a Mega Evolution. Android Authority has a list of the Pokemon we know can Mega Evolve too.

Pokemon That Can Mega Evolve In Pokemon Masters

• Agatha and Mega Gengar
• Blue and Mega Pidgeot
• Bugsy and Mega Beedrill
• Karen and Mega Houndoom
• Korrina and Mega Lucario
• Noland and Mega Pinsir

Pokemon Masters is available for iOS and Android devices.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-masters-guide-how-to-evolve-and-mega-evolv/1100-6469486/

Apple has sent out invitations for its upcoming iPhone event, officially pegging September 10 as the day the company is expected to unveil new devices. The event kicks off at 10 AM PT / 12 PM CST / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino.

GameSpot sister site CNET anticipates Apple will introduce three new iPhone models with largely the same form factor, making this year a lowkey year for the iPhone. Presumably called the iPhone 11, these phones will serve as successors to last year’s iPhone X lineup, which includes the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. They’re expected to feature better cameras, faster processors, and the latest iOS 13 software.

CNET compiled a host of rumored features for this year’s iPhone lineup. These include 3D Touch getting dropped, the phone’s having three rear-facing cameras, two-way wireless charging so you can charge your AirPods on your iPhone, and more. Apple’s invitation doesn’t specify what will be shown at the iPhone event.

Though dedicated to iPhones, Apple’s events are not always exclusive to just one product in its catalog. Apple revealed the Apple Watch Series 4 and HomePod software updates alongside new iPhones last year. There’s a possibility we could see updates to the company’s other products or software, like Apple Arcade or Apple TV Plus.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apples-iphone-event-set-for-early-september/1100-6469483/

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is out today, and Supermassive Games is already teasing the next part of its horror anthology series.

A short trailer at the end of Man of Medan reveals a 2020 release date for The Dark Pictures: Little Hope. Twitter user slashthrasher shared the trailer.

Little Hope seems to be the name of a quaint town where some strange goings-on are occurring. It looks like you’ll be trying to keep another group of young adults alive, though Supermassive has traded a ghost ship for spooky forests.

Man of Medan and Little Hope are the first two games in a planned series of stand-alone, cinematic branching horror games from the Until Dawn developer. “Each game in the series will feature a brand new story, setting, and characters,” Pete Samuels, CEO and Executive Producer at Supermassive Games, said in a blog post in August last year. “The Anthology format gives us the opportunity to tap into a variety of horror sub-genres. We’ve identified 39 that we’d love to represent in the Anthology, but that would take some time!”

GameSpot recently reviewed Man of Medan, with James O’Conner saying, “If you can organize a session with someone else who owns the game and play through the whole thing together, it’s an excellent experience; but if you’re after another single-player horror narrative experience like the one offered in Until Dawn, it’s very disappointing. As a show of the potential for the Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is largely a success, but as a first episode, it leaves plenty to be desired.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-follow-up-to-man-of-medan-has-been-revealed/1100-6469480/